Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 1358, by Pierre Beaudet, Jan 20, 2017 – Translated by John Bradley.

It all began right here in Porto Alegre in 2001 when this city in the south of Brazil became a major site of popular mobilization. Influenced by the Workers’ Party (PT), unions were, along with popular movements, at the forefront of a proactive political effort that included the support of the left within the Catholic Church, inspired by liberation theology. In the neighborhoods and slums, tightly-knit networks were struggling to take over the city while testing and implementing new ways of governance. In 2002, a seismic shift occurred with the election of a working-class president from northeast Brazil, the poorest part of the country. At the same time, a strong wave of mobilization was sweeping Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, as well as Bolivia, where an unprecedented indigenous movement had taken center stage … //

The 1% Ramp Up Austerity: … //
New Challenges for the WSF: … //

… Between these two polar positions exists an array of hybrid forms, as found in Bolivia or Spain where movements, with no illusions, decided to become involved in their respective political milieus while still working toward strengthening popular initiatives.

First of all, for the Forum to continue it must be a space where we come together above and beyond our differences. This is a matter of a “common sense” approach necessary to fight back against the current right-wing assault.

But it’s also a matter of a political and ethical commitment of everyone getting out from under their own “bubble,” in order to learn from others and to innovate. The Forum must not become a new “International” but it must create space (a lot of it) both to build alliances and to avoid the “magical thinking” where we abstain from, in the name of “horizontality,” engaging in analytical efforts that could lead to attempts to build counter-hegemonic alternatives. It makes no sense to focus solely on the processes of the available political space just as it is an error to imagine that a “new” world will emerge solely from micro-projects and local initiatives.

All these questions will be on the table this week here at Porto Alegre as part of the Forum of Resistances organized by the South American groups who are clearly cognizant of the gravity of the situation. At the end of the week there will be a meeting of the International Council, a grouping whose function is somewhat ambiguous and even called into question by some, but nevertheless has a mandate to facilitate the decision-making process.

Audio Evidence: John Kerry confirms arming Daesh, 36.56 min, uploaded on YouTube by Voltaire Network TV, Jan 13, 2017 … On 30 September 2016, The New York Times published extracts of an audio recording of a conversation between the Secretary of State, John Kerry and members of the Syrian “opposition”. The conversation took place on 22 September 2016, at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. We hear him berating the US Congress for refusing to send men to bring down the Syrian Arab Republic and advising the opposition to find another military power to take over from the US and to bring it to power … (full text);

Compensating the “losers” of globalisation, on Bruegel.org, by Silvia Merler, Jan 9, 2017: What’s at stake: According to some, 2016’s political turmoil shows that the so-called “losers” of globalisation are striking back. There is, however, little agreement on how government should respond to this challenge;